SCHENECTADY – Schenectady High School students take to the big screen to get their real-life stories of struggle, triumph and loss out to the public.

“Fast Life,” a feature-length drama produced and acted by Schenectady High School students, sheds light on the hardships young people face growing up in the struggling and often dangerous Schenectady neighborhoods. The movie was filmed entirely in city, with a budget of just $1,000. The cast is comprised entirely of SHS students. “Fast Life” was written and directed by school district Multimedia Specialist Prince Sprauve.

“This movie is going to be difficult for some people to watch,” Sprauve said. “It's a story of molestation. You have gangs, you have violence, you have poverty.–it's real life for some of these students. And sometimes life doesn't have a happy ending.”

The student cast believes the film is an opportunity for adults to see the role they play in how young people grow up, through hard-hitting, no-holds-barred dialogue and a plot based on true life stories.

“Fast Life” will have its big screen debut at Proctors in Schenectady at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25.